This invention relates to solar heating by convection and, more particularly, to a triangular-shaped solar energy collector.
The concept of using the sun as the source of energy in a heating system is well known. This type of system involves collecting incident solar radiation, transferring this radiation into heat energy, and then using the heat energy to heat the inside of a building. The solar radiation is collected by a solar collector which typically is installed on the roof or in a window of the building. One common type of prior art solar collector utilizes an absorbing material placed within the collector to collect the incident solar radiation. The air within the collector is then heated by the absorber and delivered to the inside of the building with the aid of a blower. Such a system is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,914. Another common prior art collector is the "convection" collector, wherein the natural convection currents caused by the heating and cooling of the air are utilized to circulate the air. This type of collector is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,490. The natural convection collector offers some advantages over the blower-type collector in that it is generally simpler in design, and doesn't utilize electricity.
A problem arises, however, when a substantially triangular-shaped natural convection collector is used. In particular, the convection currents will move the air in the central area of the collector since the heated air located there will rise to the relatively cooler air inside the building. However, as the hot air in the central area rises and exits the outlet of the collector, it cuts off the movement of air from the outer end areas of the collector to the outlet. More specifically, the air in the outer end areas will not blend with the rising air from the central area since this air is moved by a relatively strong air current which serves to shear the weaker air currents in the outer end areas. This shearing effect causes stagnant air pockets to be formed in the outer end areas, which raise the operating temperature of the collector and result in greater heat loss and inefficiency.
Many prior art solar collectors are also uneconomical in that they require permanent installation on the roof or in the window of the building. In particular, it is often necessary for the user to physically modify the structure in order to effectively install the collector. These modifications are often extremely costly and burdensome.